Lambeth

Lambeth's population expanded between the last two censuses. At the same time there were changes in religion, housing tenure and ethnicity.

The population passed 300,000

In the 10 years leading up to the latest census, the population of Lambeth increased by 14%, from just over 266,000 to 303,000.

The addition of almost 37,000 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Lambeth was home to, on average, 81 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across London

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across London, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

Average age stable in Lambeth

Latest census data also show that the median age of Lambeth remained 31 years in the decade to 2011.

This cosmopolitan area had a lower average age than London and remained younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of just under 12,000 people between the ages of 40 and 49 years, while the population over the age of 80 years decreased by almost 600.

About 15% of people in Lambeth are aged between 40 and 49 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Lambeth by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Lambeth

The number of people in Lambeth that described themselves as Christian remained close to 160,000 between the last two censuses. However, as a percentage of the total population, this represented a decrease from 59% to 53%.

The percentage decreased by less than the average across London (from 58% to 48%) and the average across England (from 72% to 59%).

The number of people in Lambeth that described themselves as having no religion increased from just under 58,000 in 2001 to about 85,000 in 2011 (from 22% to 28%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation decreased from just under 29,000 to about 27,000 (from 11% to 8.7%).

Just under 22,000 people (5.4%) said they were Muslim, up from just over 14,000 in 2001 (7.1%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population who identified as Christian in Lambeth decreased by 5.7 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Lambeth by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of households in Lambeth that rented privately increased from 20% to 29% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just over one in three (35%) households lived in social housing, compared with 41% in 2001. The percentage of Lambeth households that owned their home decreased from 37% to 33%.

The proportion of privately rented homes increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 15% in 2001 to 25% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.9% to 17%.

Private renting in Lambeth increased by 9.6 percentage points

Percentage of households in Lambeth, London and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Lambeth

The percentage of Lambeth residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 2.2% to 2.5% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just over 1 in 25 (4.3%) reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities, compared with 4.7% in 2001. The percentage of Lambeth residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability remained close to 93%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 2.7% in 2001 to 3.1% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.1% to 3.8%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across London

Percentage of usual residents that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Ethnicity in Lambeth

The number of people in Lambeth from the White ethnic groups remained close to 170,000 between the last two censuses. However, as a percentage of the total population, this represented a decrease from 62% to 57%.

The percentage decreased by less than the average across London (from 71% to 60%) and the average across England (from 91% to 85%).

The number of people in Lambeth from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from just under 69,000 in 2001 to about 79,000 in 2011. Both of these figures represented about 26% of the total population at the time of the 2001 and 2011 censuses. The number of residents from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed) increased from just under 13,000 to about 23,000 (from 4.8% to 7.6%).

About 21,000 people (5.8%) said they were from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups, up from just under 16,000 in 2001 (6.9%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the ethnic profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between ethnic groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population from the White ethnic groups in Lambeth decreased by 5.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Lambeth by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

↑ Back to the top

Area report data

Related links